Maharashtra Governor C V Rao flagged off the run at Nariman Point, south Mumbai which culminated near the Parsi Gymkhana on Marine Drive.Prior to the run, Rao administered the 'Rashtriya Ekatmata Pledge' as the day is being observed as National Integration Day.

Chief Minister-designate of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Piyush Goyal and Raosaheb Danve, Mumbai Mayor Snehal Ambekar and other dignitaries took part in the unity run, leading from the front.

Thousands of school and college students also enthusiastically joined the run.

Prior to the start of the event, the Governor administered a "Rashtriya Ekatmata Pledge" to the participants of the race.

The run started from the Air India building here and culminated near Parsi Gymkhana on Marine Drive.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday Flagged of the 'run for unity' marathon marking birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and termed it as National Unity Day.

Among Modi’s cabinet colleagues, urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu was the first to arrive at the venue. Naidu changed his crisp white kurta-dhoti to T-shirt and trousers, complete with sneakers.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley was present at the function at Patel Chowk, where the PM and others paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel. If crowd support made the event a hit, the presence of bureaucrats was dismal.

Circulars were issued for bureaucrats, requesting them to be present. But barely 20-25 bureaucrats were seen at the VIP enclosure. Cabinet secretary Ajit Seth, registrar general C Chandramouli and Bhaskar Khulbe, additional secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office were among the ones who came early.